Rebuilding the Community from within the Community
From a Prison Cell to a Movement: Why Building Community Matters By Ivan Kilgore Shortly after going in, I realized I had to do more than just survive. No, I needed to create something that reach beyond these concrete walls. I founded UBFSF from a maximum-security...
Being the Wife of an Incarcerated Man in the United States: My Testimony By Halima Kilgore My name is Halima Kilgore, and I am the wife of Ivan Kilgore, founder of the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation (UBFSF). Through this testimony, I want to share my...
We Can Use Dr. King’s Legacy By Erena Daniel The legacy Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. left at the height of the Civil Rights Movement had lasting and profound impacts on the consolidation efforts of African American people, both then and today. Despite the magnitude of...
Rehabilitation Over Profit By Megan McDrew Growing up in the shadow of San Quentin and Alcatraz, I’ve always been drawn to prisons with a mix of curiosity, disdain, and a healthy dose of fear. San Quentin, once one of the most notoriously dangerous prisons in...
Claims that Trump or the Executive Office of the President has canceled Black History Month appear to stem from a post from Mark Zaid, a prominent lawyer in Washington, D.C., who has represented federal government employees and whistleblowers. In an X post on Jan. 23,...
Rethinking Black History Month: Moving Beyond Western Benchmarks and Tokenized “Firsts” By Ivan Kilgore Every February, Black History Month is celebrated across the United States with tributes to African American pioneers who have "broken barriers" in politics,...
THE INTERSECTION BETWEEN DR. KING'S INCARCERATION & TODAY'S INCARCERATED WRITER By Ivan Kilgore, January 2025 This year, I was invited to speak at the University of Santa Clara to commemorate the legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and its connection to...
November 2024 Message From Our Founder November marked the 24th year I've been incarcerated. In May, I graduated with two degrees: one in Liberal Arts and another in Political Science. It was a bittersweet moment. On one hand, I looked to the sky and smiled, knowing...
Volunteer Highlight By Taos Washington Since joining the United Black Family Scholarship Foundation (UBFSF) in August 2023, I have progressed through several roles, each enhancing my ability to drive meaningful change within underserved communities. Beginning as the...
As Field Director for the R.E.B.U.I.L.D. Community Reinvestment Program, my focus is on addressing systemic challenges such as criminalization, homelessness, and barriers to affordable housing and homeownership. Through strategic partnerships and grassroots...
December 2024 Message From Our Founde This month, we wanted to highlight the organization's biggest accomplishments for 2024. Personally, for me as someone who's been in a cage for over two decades, building infrastructure was at the top of the list. Hands down, any...
Prisoner of War By Monsour Owolabi this poem is part of the “100 Stories” Archive with Stony Brook University to be published 6 November 2024 I’m in a tomb for the living, locked in a box. My clothes are all white except my gray socks. It’s 95° or so I hear;...